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Sunday, August 2, 2015

Bunch of Words from an Old Guy

I wrote the following list on the occasion of my eightieth birthday. That has now been well over a year ago. But I was rereading this and thought it not a bad Sunday school lesson. Parts of it, anyway. So here we go again.

One-third hundred thoughts on having lived eighty years.

1. “All things in moderation” is bad counsel; some things should not be done. (See Exodus, chapter 20)

2. Use real butter and drink whole milk.

3. “All things come to him who waits.” Torpor, poverty, want. . .

4. Common sense is often nonsense. What we need is uncommon sense.

5. Sugar, if you must sweeten. Salt sparingly.

6. Coffee. Lots of coffee. Decaf is not coffee.

7. Nap. A daily nap may not make you younger or prettier, but you will be easier to live with. At least while you are napping.

8. Be punctual. Late is a waste of others time and disrespectful. Early is a waste of your own time and frivolous.

9. You cannot get back a minute of time. Spend your minutes wisely.

10. Spend your money carefully. If you gratify every whim, you will find yourself in need.

11. When you sell your time to an employer, give him his money’s worth. When you are on his clock, your time is his time.

12. Technology is a marvelous servant. Don’t let it become your master.

13. Go to church, not to see or to be seen, but to reflect there and worship with fellow believers. I’ve done it both ways, and going to church is better.

14. Whine not; neither carp nor complain. All it will get you is a bad reputation.

15. It is true that you are judged by the company you keep. Choose your companions carefully.

16. Eat your spinach. It is not only good for you, it is good. And Popeye would approve.

17. You are not Clark Kent, and there are no phone booths anymore. Leave heroics to the super heroes, but in any situation, do what is right.

18. If you don’t know what is right, ask for directions or assistance, but do something.

19. Most people are ordinary; love them, but love the oddballs, too.

20. Most people are ordinary-looking. But the people at both ends of the bell curve need love, too.

21. If you would have friends, show yourself friendly. Dad drilled this one into me, and he got it from the Bible.

22. Speaking of the Bible, many people misquote or attribute things to the Bible that are not in there. Read it for yourself. Often.

23. Ice cream! Year 'round, and often.

24. When looking for wisdom, or “how to live” counsel, you will find unlimited sources.

25. A very small percentage of the counselors you find in this endeavor will be wise or worthy.

26. Be nice to the unwise and unworthy anyway.

27. Many are free with unsolicited advice. Be kind to them, too.

28. It is easy to be a cranky old person. Just live a long time and run counter to a lot of this stuff.

29. It is not so easy to be a kind old person. But you still have to live a long time, and you have to work at it.

30. And on that topic, “You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.” What? The fewer flies the better, and what a waste of honey. And vinegar.

31. Which reminds me, many clichéd sayings are simply silly if not ridiculous. Think for yourself. However, because something is a cliché does not mean that it is wrong. Again, think for yourself.

32. Sarcasm as humor tends to wear thin rather quickly.

33. If you can’t be kind, be quiet.

331/3. Eat your broccoli, too. It’s not so good as spinach but eat it anyway.

Put that on your turntable and spin it.

Happy birthday to my baby sister, Ilene. She is many years younger than I, but I can't tell you how many since you know my age and the next rule is

Lin, it is a list I try to live by, but it is not the be-all and end-all of right living. The list may grow, but I still have work to do on these!Generally the rule might be: Do the right thing. (Although the Master cautioned us regarding "doing what is right in our own eyes.)